Dr. Collins, a renowned geneticist, ran the National Institutes of Health for 12 years. His parting statement offered a pointed, if veiled, message to the Trump administration.

Dr. Francis Collins, a renowned geneticist, and former longtime director of the National Institutes of Health, is retiring from the government agency and urging “respect” for its embattled workers.

Dr. Francis Collins, the famed geneticist who headed up the National Institutes of Health for 12 years and three presidents, announced his resignation on Saturday. He became one of the faces of the battle against COVID-19 during the pandemic,